Snug Little Bugs: Swaddling & Sleep Sacks

When Ranger was a wee newborn we swaddled him for sleep. Initially I couldn't get the hang of it, the blankets just melted off him in the first few minutes. Jim was a natural though, so (being naturally competitive) I kept trying. I found the book Babygami extremely helpful (as well as being beautiful and funny).

Although we had a specialty swaddling blanket, I found it much easier to use a slightly stretchy cotton waffle blanket in the Babygami snug wrap. The specialty straightjacket-style swaddling blanket was hard to adjust for a newborn's small size. When Ranger was big enough to fit the custom swaddler, we were all quite comfortable with blanket swaddling.

Our hands-down favorite blanket for swaddling is the Gerber Thermal receiving blanket. We bought about a dozen of them in various colors (new expecting parents, trust us, bad things happen to blankets faster than you can launder them). They're useful long after the baby outgrows swaddling. We still have everyday uses for them with 2 year-old Ranger.

After swaddling ended (babies get too active to be contained), we moved on to ultra-cozy sleep sacks. Sleep sacks tend to be fleece and run around $20. We weren't going to buy a dozen of these because of cost, bulk, and a very limited period of use. We ended up with around six of them because generous grandparents found them extremely clever. We'd usually put these over a jammies, a onesie, or a baby gown.

Through craftster.org I recently found a good tutorial at Jan Andrea for making sleep sacks. This was really fortuitous as the end user of the girly baby booties I made was recently revealed by ultrasound to be male and I've been looking for a new gift project.

So, meet the Super Sleep Sack. It's for the offspring of an ace graphic designer/illustrator (I won't link because his sitemeter will reveal this page but you can see his blog at jacobelijahwalker.blogspot.com) and an incredibly talented portrait artist/printmaker. I had extra fabric, so I made some no-scratch mitts to spice up the newborn days.

Baby Toolkit is the independent opinion of Adrienne and Jim Jones. We have received no compensation of any kind from anyone affiliated with BabyGami, Gerber, any of the sleep sack companies, Jan Andrea, or Craftster.org. 2007, some rights reserved.

Mom, It's Not Me, It's You: A New Study on the Genetics of Picky Eaters

For Ranger's second birthday I made him a banana cake. He's a banana fiend, so it seemed a logical jump. He (and my 35 year-old brother) refused to even try it as it was not familiar. I was disappointed, but hardly surprised.

I could be classified as a picky eater in recovery. When I actually started trying new foods, I found out I had been missing out. Ranger would be happy on the apple, grape, and cracker diet in perpetuity.

An interesting new study through University College London suggests that food reluctance is probably inherited as well as a self-preservation mechanism. Wow.

I thought this might reassure other parents who dread the "does he eat vegetables" dietary interview with the pediatrician. Apparently, most kids lose the majority of their fussiness by 5 and reintroduction of rejected foods can help.

For those of you looking to expand the palate and culinary experience of older kids, please visit Spatulatta- a great cooking site for kids by kids. I love to watch the videos and dream of future days when Ranger and I can cook together.

Guess What: More Lead-Based Recalls

Okay, I've been making all kinds of vitriolic comments on Goodyblog. I'm pretty peeved about American discounters forcing manufacturing to countries that produce stuff cheaply at the cost of safety standards and general labor/human rights.

Please read this article on the whole Wal-Mart/big box discounter connection with unsafe products for the sake of low, low prices. There are more extended explanations of this connection in books like Shopportunity by Kate Newlin (skip right to the Wal-Mart chapters- they are important reading for any American concerned about their kids' future).

Anyway, our stupid cheapskate desires for bargains have bit us in the proverbial rump yet again. These are the new recalls (through noon CST):

• Sponge Bob address books and journals- leaded books. What's next, toilet paper? Nope, that's made in America.
  
• Thomas and Friends, Curious George, and other spinning tops & tin pails- surprise kid, play with these makes your IQ plummet!
• More leaded jewelry- I'm seriously smacking parents upside the head the next time I see a kid toting play jewelry that's not macaroni. Might as well just put some mercury in their breakfast cereal.
• Magnetic Toy Train Set with valued-added lead paint- With all the recent magnet recalls, it was probably a close call as to whether this should be a choking hazard, a lead hazard, or both.

It been a mere week since the last round of recalls. How can a parent keep up? RSS feeds are the only way. (If you're asking what's an RSS feed- see Zrec's great tutorial and learn about the wonders of feed readers like Google Reader.)

Here are the links to the Consumer Product Safety Commission's RSS Feeds and weekly podcasts. Sign up for almost instantaneous bad news.

(Thanks for the RSS tip, Parent Hacks!)

Lean on Me: Sidekick Diaper Bag and Child Carrier

I've looked at Parents of Inventions' Sidekick diaper bag with a built-in child carrier online for almost a year, but I couldn't bring myself to shell out $80 for it.

When I found one, a returned online purchase in black and orange, for $40 at my local Target I couldn't walk past it. It has big, well-placed pockets in profusion. Ranger and I tried it on for carrier fit. I thought gangly 2 year-old Ranger would weigh too much for it at 30 or so pounds, but he and I were both happy with the carrier fit.

After a few days of use, Ranger and I both found the carrier to be comfortable and useful. He likes riding in it, and I find it doesn't cripple me. Much of the weight is distributed to your hips taking notable responsibility off your arms and some of the pressure off your back (all carriers will put additional pressure on your back). It turns out that, with a squirmy two year-old, the carrier is great for short trips or intermittent use on a long walk, but it does start taking a toll with a longterm toddler payload (I think the carrier would be great with a less heavy infant though).

I was so prepared to dislike the carrier that it surprised me to find the carrier was effective and easy to use (after initial adjustments).

The bag that initially grabbed me with its ample pockets ultimately left me with some hesitation and disappointment. While there are many smart, spacious pockets all over the bag- and they're easily accessible EVEN with a child in the carrier- the closures ultimately disappointed me (I think this could easily be remedied with only slight revisions).

The clasps are all magnetic snaps, so they don't close firmly. I lose stuff all the time, so a magnetic clasp between my wallet and the world is a recipe for disaster. Yes, the bag is very deep, but somehow my wallet always seemed to end up pressing against the top flap- begging to escape.

The cell phone pocket is placed very conveniently for use with the carrier deployed, but placing your phone in it while the carrier is not being used causes the large exterior flap not to secure properly. Again, this made me feel like my items were poised to jump from the bag.

The end pockets worked great for snacks and bottles (and eventually my cell phone and wallet). The main pocket was huge and held a sizable notebook, my Diaper Valet, more snacks, toys, and everything else Ranger hands me in the course of a day. Because of the bag's flexible walls, the 75% loaded main compartment slightly bulged causing the main flap to become unsecured while walking.

The back of the bag has a nice diaper pad pocket with a small changing pad. This pocket is great for stowing a thin board book or two. It also has a zippered diaper pocket on the bottom that offers flat storage for quite a few diapers.

Transforming the bag to carrier is quite easy. There's a single zipper that changes the shoulder strap to a waist strap. This system is really effective, but I was mystified that they chose a zipper without terminal ends. Instead, they sewed the infinite zipper in two curving arcs IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS. Really, what were they thinking? The zipper bears a load in the diaper bag position, so it unzips itself (not fully- but usually 25 to 50% of its length) while in diaper bag use. This is a simple design and manufacturing decision, but it actually was the deal-breaker for me using this bag. I got tired of it gapping and requiring repeat zippings with every use. We talked about adding a snap or a hook and eye closure, but in the end- even $40 retail is too much to spend on a bag that requires hacks.

This is a really smart bag design, but the tiny construction details sabotaged a good product. With better closures (velcro or real snaps), a different zipper, and interfacing to strengthen the front panel, it could become a great tool for families with infants and toddlers. If Parents of Invention makes these simple revisions, they'll have a real winner on their hands. Email me if you see a 2.0 or higher version.